Coventry dog walking orders: Tories to challenge city council over new rules

Council House, Coventry. Protest over the proposal to ban dogs from some public areas.

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Tories in Coventry have taken the rare action to “call-in” the council’s decision on the city’s new dog orders.

The opposition party in the council chamber have the right to challenge the Labour-run council’s decisions and have decided to act after the Cabinet meeting earlier this month where the controversial orders were debated.

Council chiefs had been set to bring in new laws forcing owners to keep their pets on a lead in all council-maintained parks and green spaces at all times.

However, a 5,000-strong petition and widespread criticism saw them change their mind, meaning people will only have to keep their dogs on leads in certain areas, such as sign-posted parts of parks or near sports pitches when “officiated matches” are taking place.

Despite the change in stance, the Conservative members of the council are still not happy and say there needs to be more precise locations and where walkers can, and cannot, walk their pet off the lead.

The city’s Tory leader, Coun John Blundell, also revealed that the “call-in” - which is the first used for around three years - says that the council “did not follow its own procedure” as there was a public meeting on January 13, after the decision was taken, and city chiefs can change the orders “at any time without the need for consultation and scrutiny, which is not what the act is intended for”.

The “call-in” means the decision is now expected to go in front of a scrutiny committee who will run a fine-tooth comb over the plans.

Coun Blundell said: “I suggested at the Cabinet meeting that they waited until the new consultative group they were setting up had met, see what they say and then bring it back to Cabinet after that.

“However, they just decided to plough ahead with the u-turn on their blanket ban.

“So we are challenging this on legal grounds and while they are considering the call-in they cannot implement the Cabinet’s decision.

“We aren’t totally happy with what the council have done so we have decided to go ahead with this call-in.”

The new dog orders also include: banning dogs off leads in burial areas; granting power to council officers to order owners to put dogs on leads; the creation of a consultative group - including dog owners and ‘Friends of’ parks groups; and increasing on-the-spot fines if owners break the new rules.